Booking Cruise Early Can Save Money And Snag The Best Rooms

A mighty armada of cruise ships will be heading to Alaska in May for a season of cruising along the magnificent coastline, visiting colorful communities, and viewing glaciers and wildlife.

While the cruises are still months away, the time to book is now, and there are two simple reasons why.

The best cruises and dates sell out early; and many lines still have early-booking discounts available in February.

With more than 36 cruise ships sailing weekly along the coast, the hardest decision to make is which ship to sail on. Not all the ships sail the same itinerary, so check schedules carefully before booking.

Just about every cruise line, and some smaller ones as well, will be represented in these waters. Princess and Holland America are the two biggest lines sailing in Alaska and also offer extensive land packages as well.

North America Rail Pass: Amtrak and Canada’s passenger train system have teamed up to offer a two-country rail pass that that can carry riders to more than 900 destinations along more than 28,000 miles of track.

Residents of both countries, as well as international visitors, can travel using the North America Rail Pass, a 30-day pass that allows unlimited travel and stopovers.

The pass covers VIA Rail track spanning Canada from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Vancouver, British Columbia, and all Amtrak destinations. Transfers between the two systems must occur in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver.

For travel during the off-peak periods of Jan. 1 to May 31 and Oct. 16 to Dec. 31, the pass costs $450. For peak-period travel from June 1 to Oct. 15, the pass costs $645. The pass is good for basic economy service.

Using the pass is not as simple as flashing it to the conductor, though. Pass holders must make reservations and obtain a ticket for each trip. The train companies recommend early booking to ensure that space is available.

The passes can be arranged through travel agencies or from Amtrak at (800) 872-7245. More information can also be found at Web sites http://www.amtrak.com or http://www.viarail.ca.

Hazardous destinations: The most hazardous cities (excluding war zones) for business travelers, according to Kroll Associates, a business-intelligence firm:

Algiers, Algeria; Bogota, Colombia; Caracas, Venezuela; Johannesburg, South Africa; Karachi, Pakistan; Lagos, Nigeria; Medellin, Colombia; Mexico City, Mexico; Moscow, Russia; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Soccer fan’s dream: Unless you’re a soccer fan, you may not want to be in Paris when France hosts the World Cup there from June 10 to July 12. The city will be jammed as the world’s best soccer teams play dozens of matches in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis.

French tourism officials insist that the World Cup is not like the Olympics and that most tourism to Paris will be unimpeded by the matches and attendant hoopla. Perhaps. But even tourism officials admit that this is the wrong year for a last-minute jaunt to France.

Dining: A survey of more than 16,600 U.S. residents visiting Europe reported their five top activities were restaurant dining (77.4 percent), sightseeing in cities (74.5 percent), shopping (69 percent), visiting historical places (65 percent), and visiting art galleries and museums (54 percent).

Most travelers surveyed visited only one European country (59.5 percent); 22.8 percent went to two countries, 9.4 percent to three, 4 percent to four and 4.3 percent to five.